Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan has rejected criticism of the Government's economic policies by UCD academic Morgan Kelly.
Mr Ryan said the Government had had no real choice but to take the steps it did, adding that Ireland is now coming out of the deep recession we were in.
In an opinion article in Saturday's Irish Times, Mr Kelly said the Government's September 2008 bank guarantee, if not reversed, would sink the country.
Minister Ryan said Professor Kelly was entitled to his views, and of course they were listened to, but the Government had to make choices and most international commentators believed it had made the right ones.
Asked about the guarantee, which runs out in September 2010, the Minister said it would be 'wound out' and there would not be a need for the type of guarantee, which was put in place at the 'crisis point' of September 2008, when the banks were not able to get money.
